Sylhet keep playoff hopes alive with win over Dhaka

Hosts Sylhet Titans kept their playoff hopes alive with a 20-run win over Dhaka Capitals in their eighth match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

The victory lifted Sylhet to third place on the points table with eight points, courtesy of a superior net run rate to Rajshahi Warriors, while Dhaka remained fifth with four points from six matches.

Put in to bat, Sylhet posted a competitive 180 for six from their 20 overs, riding on valuable contributions from Ariful Islam (38 off 29 balls), Azmatullah Omarzai (33 off 23), Parvez Hossain Emon (32 off 24) and Moeen Ali, who struck a brisk 28 off just eight deliveries.

Sylhet had looked set for a total around 160 before Moeen provided the late impetus, hammering Nasir Hossain—who had conceded only seven runs in his first three overs—for 28 runs in the penultimate over. The final over yielded a further 17 runs, helping the hosts finish strongly.

Dhaka's Afghan pacer Ziaur Rahman Sharifi was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three for 35 from his four overs.

In reply, Dhaka got off to a flying start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Abdullah Al Mamun added 56 runs for the opening wicket before Mamun was dismissed for 24 off 11 balls. His departure triggered a brief collapse, with Dhaka slipping to 67 for three.

Gurbaz then added 37 runs with Saif Hassan for the fourth wicket to steady the innings. However, after Gurbaz fell for a 44-ball 51, Dhaka struggled to maintain the required run rate and lost wickets at regular intervals.

Sabbir Rahman remained unbeaten on 25 off 16 balls, but Dhaka could only manage 160 for eight in their allotted 20 overs. Salman Irshad starred with the ball for Sylhet, taking three for 25, while Moeen Ali chipped in with two wickets.